


fantasia

by masamune11



Category: Fate/Grand Order, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 09:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19331383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masamune11/pseuds/masamune11
Summary: Prince Ritsuka of the Lucis Caelum monarch departs for his wedding to Princess Kyrielight of the Tenebrae, Oracle of Eos, along with his Chamberlain, his Shield, and his (father's) Glaive.Like any other adventures worth telling, however, things... seldom turn according to plan.





	fantasia

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lucene](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucene/gifts).



> HELLO! Welcome to my yet-another crossover story. It's purely experimental and meant to be short and clean, but, like I said in my other fics, the plot and the story... uh, they tend to form by themselves, so I wouldn't be too surprised if this one grows into a behemoth of fic.
> 
> (I'm claiming this as a writing experiment on my part, though.)
> 
> Proofread to the best of my ability.
> 
> And before you ask why I write this, well... let's just say I'm blaming FFXV story and Lostbelt 4 FGO.
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And yet, if there be any worlds outside this one (such sentimentality was unbecoming of him, truly), Arjuna would choose this one again and again, where he could serve the prince with and garner not only trust but also friendship; a chance to observe how the once-boy Prince of Insomnia grew, carefully, undeniably, to be the King that the prophecy demanded... and to guide him there.

Taking care of the Crown Prince of Insomnia was either a blessing or a curse of life, depending on who's living it. Arjuna, however, opted to see it as the latter, taking pride in his station and his mission in life: heir to the House of Scientia, chamberlain of the future King of Kings, and, like it was designed to be, the future Hand of King. If there be any other world where his and the prince's life intertwine, Arjuna was sure that he would be satisfied with his current (and future) role—would be honored to have it all the same.

And yet, if there be any worlds outside this one (such sentimentality was unbecoming of him, truly), Arjuna would choose this one _again and again_ , where he could serve the prince with and garner not only trust but also friendship; a chance to observe how the once-boy Prince of Insomnia grew, carefully, _undeniably,_ to be the King that the prophecy demanded... and to guide him there.

It was with such thought that he respectfully bowed before the King, together with the other members of the prince's retinue—the future Shield and _that person_ —and  listened to the plea of a Father rather than a reigning Monarch: ' _I ask not that you guide my wayward son, merely that you remain by his side._ '

(King Romani's eyes showed nothing but kindness and pride as they parted. Nothing, not even a speck of forlorn haunting, at the dire, risky situation between Lucis and Niffleheim. Even Arjuna can smell the precautions put in place—that this escort mission was one to safeguard the line of Lucis if the worst came to pass.

He hated himself for being proven right, the view of Empire's Dreadnoughts flying to the direction of Insomnia weighing heavily on his mind.)

Now, with all of them sitting together around the bonfire, Arjuna couldn't help but observe at the slouching form of his Prince, dark eyes haunted still with the reality of _everything_. It was only mere days ago that they set out from the Crown City for his wedding... and now here they were, camping out at Oathe Haven after a disastrous mark-hunting session (Arjuna should have _better_ coaxed his Prince from hunting at all, if his sole reason was 'to let off some steam', as Karna pointed prior), with a silence too thick to break.

They almost lost Ritsuka, after all.

"Have I told you how much of a blockhead you are, _Your Highness_?" Rama growled under his breath, breaking the tense silence with as much ire as a young man could garner. Trust the young Shield to dish out his scolding first, having been his highness' closest friend to this day. "I know that _Anak_ would hit me square in the stomach. I knew what I'm doing, _so why the hell did you warp to my side and take the damn blow?_ "

There was an agonized look passing through those dark eyes of his Prince, as if the words were there on the tip of his tongue, only to fade away before they were voiced. Then came the affronted look, Ritsuka standing up and hurriedly making his way to his Shield. Arjuna needed not be told of what would transpire next, the situation before him unfolding into a series of disgruntled screaming between the Prince and Shield (Arjuna had been witnessed to their many scuttles, enough to identify that this one needed not his intervention), the fight broken only by the stoic Glaive of their entourage.

Only when Karna had the Shield wrestled down (he may not look like it, _but Rama was very strong for his age_ ) that Arjuna decided to intercede because he had seen the signs of Ritsuka trying to burn the bridges between them— _all of them_. It would only take some wrathful words and stubborn heads to divide them apart, and Arjuna will not let things descend to _that_.

(They lost their home and most of their loved ones. They were all he got now, until the time when they can to retake them— _when Ritsuka is ready to ascend and become their rightful King._ )

"I understand," he started, not expecting his own voice to sound so rough (he would acknowledge that the whole debacle had wormed under his skin, but not so much that he should be aggravated by it), "that we have lost so _damn_ much in these few days. That you fear losing more." ' _That you fear to lose us,'_ he wanted to add, but Arjuna let that one die on his tongue, "but we do not stand by you to watch yourself keel over the weight of your calling. _We are here to share your burden, Ritsuka_ , and we do so by playing our parts."

Ritsuka's eyes reflected the orange light of their bonfire as if giving way to the fury which he had not voiced. His whole gait was still tight from anger— _from trying to do anything stupid,_ "so you wish me to stand by and watch any of you throw yourself to danger for me, but not otherwise? _You would have me watch all of you die for my sake_?"

" _Yes_ ," the word flowed out before he could even stop it, and Arjuna regretted it as soon as it was done. It was as true as every day breaking dawn, as true as Shiva's love for Ifrit. Still, _it was a truth that should have remained unsaid in this situation_. The Prince... needed to understand that Arjuna's duty will not allow him to let Ritsuka get hurt, even at the risk of the retainer's life (every one of his entourage shared this sentiment).

Ritsuka's eyes widened in surprise, but he recovered more quickly than Arjuna expected. The Prince quickly turned away and walked into the tent, leaving his retainers to their bonfire.

Slouched on his chair with the begrudging eyes of his comrades on him, Arjuna pinched the bridge of his nose and ruminated on his mistake.

* * *

"How long are you planning to sulk, Juna?"

The nickname stilled his hand on the cutting board, his repressed irritation slowly made way to convert his regret to anger. Ruffled his feathers may be, however, Arjuna managed to sigh rather than to throw the kitchen knife in his hand at his comrade (once upon a time, he would have done so) and quietly congratulated himself for emulating such maturity.

"I am not sulking," he replied, the words coming out sounding more like ones coming from a petulant child. The dark-haired chamberlain managed to bury his distaste, even if he had to put more force unto his food-chopping endeavor.

It was a good thing that Karna kept his mouth shut, through the ordeal.

A moment of silence passed between them as Arjuna gathered his poise, finally putting aside the ingredients required for breakfast tomorrow. Karna lingered by his seating, his presence non-intrusive but noticeable, and Arjuna knew that the Glaive wouldn't be returning to their tent any time soon (Rama and Ritsuka probably still needed the privacy, and Karna, obtuse in courtesy he might be, knew better not to intrude).

Arjuna decided to tolerate his presence and picked a seat next to him.

In their college days, this gesture meant that he's allowing Karna to open the discussion. Thus, it was expected that not long after he sat on the camping chair, the Glaive shifting on his weight as he leaned forward, Karna looked at him as he measured his words.

"It has been quite a while since we are able to talk like this, just the two of us. Granted, the Empire did not breathe on our necks as vigilantly as they do now," the white-haired man started, catching him off-guard. Arjuna had known this man for a few years now, having shared bunks together back when they attended the Royal Academy of Insomnia, and seldom had he started the conversation with a reminiscence full of words.

(The one time he did, Arjuna was struck with the full history of Karna's situation: that he was a Galahdian, that his family was obliterated at the hands of Niffleheim, that he had nothing else to lose, that he may or may not befriend with the future Chamberlain of the King so that he may have some good words for the application of Kingsglaive.

Three days after, Arjuna moved out from their shared room, his trust in Karna broken.)

"The last time that we did, if I remember correctly, was when you admitted to befriending me in order to get my good word to join the Kingsglaive," he dismissively replied, finding no ire in himself when he remembered that moment—not when their priority had become Ritsuka's safety (surprisingly). He couldn't help the edges of his lips pulled together to form a small smile, his gloom lifted if only for a moment. "...I suppose I still owe you an apology for acting like a child."

Much to his puzzlement, Karna looked back at him oddly, as if he had grown a second head. Was the idea of him apologizing really that foreign? There were times that he had delivered his apology through gritted teeth and, truly, under the mask of ingenuity. But Karna had lived with him long enough to discern between the true, the teasings, and the fakes.

"No, I... I've already put such petty argument aside. It will not serve our purpose as the Prince's guards. There is something else that I need to tell." his comrade replied, his tone a tad unsure for someone who had broken the fight between their Prince and Shield. Another oddity, or so Arjuna discerned; Karna had always been so sure, despite his few words. The chamberlain refrained from commenting on this, however, as he noted that the Glaive was not done. So Arjuna gave him the sign to move on, one that Karna complied to with a nod.

"Merlin had just passed me information about the Royal Tomb at the top of treacherous Ravatogh, but there is something else," he stated, crossing the distance between them and showed the message on his phone. The message was somewhat detailed, with Merlin explaining that they might require some fire-resistant vests and salves for burns. What caught Arjuna's eyes, however, was how the last lines of his message degenerated into a slew of unreadable characters that ended with the following:

"P̷r̷o̷t̷e̷c̷t̷ ̷C̷h̷a̷l̷d̷e̷a̷." 

The word Chaldea sounded so foreign yet _so close_ , like a forgotten word at the tip of the tongue ( _like the feel of acceptance amidst his treacherous blight, the smile of a loved one, the warmth of sunlight on his skin_ ). It made Arjuna pause for a moment before his mind whirred again. "Chaldea? Is that an asset of Lucis?"

Karna looked pensive for a moment before pulling his phone back, too hurriedly for Arjuna's liking. But Arjuna let it slide, for the time being; the Glaive was never one to hold back information if it concerned Ritsuka's safety.

"Perhaps," he replied, "which is why I plan to meet with him at Verinas Mart."

Now _that_  got his eyebrows twisted, "you should have told this to everyone, not just me."

"It was my intention to do so until they have their quarrel," the Glaive rebuked, voice flat, with a trace offhanded amusement. Well, it was good to know that someone other than Arjuna was taking some sort of pleasure from the whole ordeal.

"Good grief," the Chamberlain muttered while refraining from pinching his brows once more, "very well then, I believe that we have a destination to decide— _and his royal highness to brief with_. I suggest that we call it a night."

* * *

 

Arjuna's dream was filled with dark tidings and hopeless endeavor, of blood-drenched hands and rolling head, of blinding light of the gods ( _The Hexatheion's?_ ) and fall of the dark—

—but along with them, he saw the smile of the Prince who reached his hand with the shyness of his young age, and of the man who had earned his utmost devotion, _for he was the man who had seen thoroughly, breaking —down the perfect facades which he weaved around him like masks they were—_

—when he opened his eyes to see the face of his Prince, there was a weight that settled at the back of his mind, vanishing like a forgotten dream. 

Like the word _Chaldea_.

It was forgotten completely when Ritsuka woke up with a yawn, blue eyes locking with his own, a flicker of guilt flashing behind blue eyes. No, Arjuna will not have his Prince wallow in guilt when _he_ was the one who had reacted unwell. So Arjuna smiled, and then greeted.

"Good morning, Ritsuka."

 

 

 

([" _Good morning, Arjuna._ "](https://chaldeluxe.tumblr.com/post/163133451453/arjuna-second-interlude-congratulations-on-your) [1])

**Author's Note:**

> [1] It's a choice you can make at the pretty last part of Arjuna's second interlude.


End file.
